Africa 1850 - 1914History - Changes Towards The Turn of The Century Michelle Wong, Yea Rin Park, Ashley Ng, Cherri Wong Africa. 2007. Universitetet I Oslo. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. Technology and What it Does: Telegraphs - A system which can deliver messages from a long distance by using a wire (to be able to communicate)
Benefits - It is an easier and faster way to communicate to people in Africa - Able to move around the continent while communicating to homeland (Europeans could spread information and progress to one another)
Negative Consequences - Europeans are the only ones benefiting from this technology, African laborers are not permitted to contact their families because they are “slaves” - Resources are needed to construct the telegraph (more laborers)
Telegraph. N.d. HT Museum. Zagreb, 1997. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
Steam Engines, Railroads - Imperialism arose because Europeans wanted to control lands and the raw materials - In order to do this, they needed steam engines and railroads to help trading and transporting goods - They could go deep into Africa but still be able to contact with the home country
Benefits - Help extend and expand the trading of resources for Europeans beyond the coastlines - Able to move around the continent more quickly and easily
Negative Consequences - A large amount of resources and money is needed in order to build these technological advanced transports - Takes a long process to make - A large labor force is required (families of African farmers are torn apart)
Machine Guns - Machine guns weren’t even seen before in Africa - In the beginning, Europeans were selling machine guns to Africans, but in 1890, they decided to stop selling arms to them - Africans had nothing against the machine guns
Benefits - Could protect the continent for military usages - Small military forces could defeat a large number of people without these weapons and technology
Negative Consequences - Economically: machine guns require a large amount of resources and money - Harm and kill more people if the machine guns are used at inappropriate times - Africans were totally controlled by the Europeans, because the Europeans can shoot them anytime they please
Quinine - A bitter drug from South America - From the bark of the cinchona tree → a weapon against malaria - Western areas in Africa = heavily affected: known as the “White Man’s Grave” since lots of Europeans were struck by this disease (6/10 Europeans sent would die within the first year upon arriving) - 1817 = 2 scientists (Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimé Caventou) = took quinine from the cinchona trees (was in use at 1850)
Benefits - Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimé Caventou is now rich as they found this drug against a deadly disease - Before 1850, it was impossible for Europeans to survive the damaging effects of malaria when traveling to a continent with this disease being everywhere - Doctors are now able to use quinine to cure lots of sick patients, and will be able to earn more money - Africans are more united as a whole, because less people died, and people are more willing to help each other
Negative Consequences - More Europeans came to take over Africa, and the resources there are being taken away (Africans have less power over their own country) - The “Scramble for Africa” began, because all the European countries knew about Africa, and was afraid of loosing. Therefore, they all came to join the scramble. - Africans, because there is rasicsm going on as more “white” people came. Europeans thought that they were far more superior compared to the Africans
Quinine in Africa. N.d. Anthrocivitas. vBulletin, 27 Sept. 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
Mineral Exploitation - Africa is a continent rich for mineral resources - Colonial governments encouraged exploitation (make full use of resources) - Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and the Belgian Congo were dominated by copper and tin production - Many African farmers had to leave their homes to become mine workers - South Africa had gold and diamonds
Benefits -Trading is available, so more resources could be gathered -African farmers have a job and have an opportunity to raise their family -European and colonial governments earn a large profit, because minerals are expensive
Negative Consequences - Families are torn apart due to labor inside the mines - African farmers are used as slaves by the Europeans - Some laborers die due to the dynamites used in mining (at that time Albert B. Nobel already introduced dangerous explosives to Africa)
Agricultural Production - In the east and southern Africa, there were farms which were owned by the Europeans - Farmers around Africa were encouraged to grow cash crops by the colonial government - Such as: coffee beans, cocoa, peanuts, and non-food crops such as tobacco and cotton
Benefits: - Farmers are earning money from growing high quality crops (cash crops) that were requested by the colonial government
Negative Consequences: - Some parts of Africa are lack of natural resources, so not all of the farmers in Africa have a job and work for the Europeans - Men who live in these areas need to migrate to another colony to work in large farms, and leaving their family and home behind
The Transportation - Railroads are used as primary sources to transport agricultural and mineral sources, because the great rivers in Africa have rapids and waterfalls which make transportation difficult. - Since Africa can not do that on their own, colonial governments and companies sponsered the developing of railroads.
Benefits: - The transportation like railroads and road do very important roles in economic growth and technology development. - The Europeans benefit by using Africa’s transportation and serve the commercial needs of themselves.
Negative Consequences: - The fragmentation of the colonial powers lead to interreginal links, which were thin. -After the independence of Africa, the independent government realized that they could not keep up the developing with their African labour. - The transportation was mainly used for the benefit of colonial powers. Social and Political Events: The Scramble for Africa -1886-1914
-European countries colonized all of Africa, except for Liberia and Ethiopia
-Britain, France, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain had colonial powers
-they wanted to establish sovereignty, or polital control -there was warfare, threat of force and treaty making with African rulers Benefits: -European countries benefit, because they get to colonize parts of Africa
-If they colonize the land, they would be guaranteed to have raw resources and materials for the industrial revolution or trade -Because they were taking over Africa, they were able to use the citizens as slaves, to help speed up the process of gathering resources by forced labor Negative Consequences: -African citizens were having their land taken by Europeans, and many were made as slaves
-Many were killed due to the warfare and threat of force by the Europeans -Africa didn’t have their independence, and was being controlled by other colonies The Depression of Europe -end of 19th century
-no money to spend on political administration, economic development or social programs -Had to raise the revenue to pay for all expenses, including the colonial army and police force Negative Consequences: -Depression is a severe economic slump, and this would definitely harm the economy and industrial trade for the Europeans -Europeans had to pay more to have a colonial army and political force Industrial Revolution -19th century
-no shortage of labor in Europe
-2 centuries of trade with Asia, America and Africa (Atlantic slave trade), brought great profit for the Europeans
-the profit from the trading was then used to finance the industrial revolution
-European countries were dependent on raw materials
-cotton textile industry helped stimulate the industrial revolution -therefore, European industrialists encouraged governments to colonize African countries to guarantee raw resources from Africa (ex. mineral exploitation)
Benefits: -Europeans earn a lot of profit from the trading of goods in the Industrial revolution -By colonizing Africa, they would have a daily or stable supply of resources for trading -Europeans were able to use African farmers to help them speed up the process of gathering the resources (mineral exploitation, agricultural production)
Negative Consequences: -African farmers or citizens suffer because they had to leave their families, to do forced labor
-resources of African are reduced, because Europeans are always getting the resources to earn profit from the industrial revolution
-African countries were colonized by Europeans, no more independence Zanzibar Slave Trade - Europeans were violent to the native Africans
- Zanzibar = Africa’s slave trade center
- People from central Africa were bought/stolen from their home and shipped to Zanzibar to be auctioned/sold to be slaves
- This trade was very profitable → earned lots of money during this process
- More than 500,000 slaves were brought to Zanzibar every year
- Thousands of slaves died before even reaching Zanzibar - 1876 = slaver was banned due to British powers Benefits: - Arab traders was able to earn so much money due to the fact that the slave business was very successful Negative Consequences: - The slaves were beat up, and treated inhumanely because they were thought to be “lower class” - Lots of slaves died during this process, because of the harsh conditions - Slaves, because they were forced to do hard work without pay, or very little - The slaves’ families were devastated by the fact that their family member(s) were taken away to be slaves in a foreign place, and they wouldn’t ever come back
Final Breakdown of Africa - The Europeans broke down Africa into pieces and shared the land. - Any resistance was killed. - The Europeans were not considering the tribes’ territories.
Benefits: - The Europeans benefit by sharing the land and reducing their conflicts.
Negative Consequences:
- The African people are the losers because the Europeans were not considering the tribal differences. - The tribes that considered each other as enemies were mixed up in one territory. - The problems that Africa faces today are because of this. Suez Canal - Suez Canal = joins the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
- Egypt agreed with Ferdinand de Lesseps, a previous official of France, to build a canal 100 miles across Suez
- Engineers, and they began constructing in 1859
- Beginning = forced labour (low tech equipment: shovels, picks, etc.)
- Later = steam shovels and dredgers were used (a lot faster)
- In the beginning few years = only a few hundred ships went across the canal - Improvement work began in 1876 → became a busy ship traveling path Benefits: - Great Britain, because after construction, they became the largest shareholder in this company → earned lots of money
- Different countries, because it’s really easy and convenient to travel with ships down this path
- Bosses of companies, because the canal is open night and day, so the ship can travel to places quicker, and import goods really fast - Ship crew, because the amount of accidents that happen in this canal is really little compared to other waterways (safer) Negative Consequences: - People were forced into labour in order to build the canal (slaves) - The environment, because there’s more pollution now since ships travel all the time Tax Wars - The European were expecting Africa to not need their money and wanted them to pay their own way, and wanted to drag them into the cash economy, so they used taxation to make them work hard.
- The terrrible tax made the African people get angry.
- There was the first rebellion in Agola, 1902 attacking the tax collectors.
- The hut tax lead to death of some British officials. - The Germans made the Herero sign with them and took over their land and forced them to pay taxes. In 1904, the Herero rebelled the Germans. However, after the rebellion the Germans forced them to get out of the territory and killed whoever stayed. Benefits: - European people benefit, at least more than the Africans because they got a lot of tax from them, but they did not benefit entirely because the Africans rebelled and killed some Europeans and burned farms, etc. Negative Consequences: - Africans are losers by paying a awful lot of tax to Europeans. However, they succeeded to show their attitude of disobeyment through rebellions. All Works Cited Evans, Alistair Boddy. “Quinine - What Is Quinine.” About.com. The New York Times Co., 2011. Web. 26 Aug. 2011.
“History of Pemba & Zanzibar.” Swahili Divers. Click IT, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
Jones, Jim. "Europe & Africa in the 19th Century." Courses. West Chester University, 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. McDougal, Littell. “The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914.” McLane. Beseen, 1999. Web. 26 Aug. 2011.
“Scramble for Africa.” WordPress. An Automattic Brainchild, 10 May 2011. Web. 26 Aug. 2011.
“Suez Canal Opens.” History. A&E Television Networks, LLC, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
Telegraph. N.d. HT Museum. Zagreb, 1997. Web. 31 Aug. 2011. "Unit Two: Studying Africa through the Social Studies." Matrix. African Studies Center, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
Wilson, McDougal Littell. "TELESCOPING THE TIMES: The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914." Mclane. N.p., 1999. Web. 28 Aug. 2011.
Sites you can use to learn more about technology, revolution and imperialism in Africa are listed below:
Technology and What it Does:
Telegraphs
- A system which can deliver messages from a long distance by using a wire (to be able to communicate)
Benefits
- It is an easier and faster way to communicate to people in Africa
- Able to move around the continent while communicating to homeland (Europeans could spread information and progress to one another)
Negative Consequences
- Europeans are the only ones benefiting from this technology, African laborers are not permitted to contact their families because they are “slaves”
- Resources are needed to construct the telegraph (more laborers)
Telegraph. N.d. HT Museum. Zagreb, 1997. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
Steam Engines, Railroads
- Imperialism arose because Europeans wanted to control lands and the raw materials
- In order to do this, they needed steam engines and railroads to help trading and transporting goods
- They could go deep into Africa but still be able to contact with the home country
Benefits
- Help extend and expand the trading of resources for Europeans beyond the coastlines
- Able to move around the continent more quickly and easily
Negative Consequences
- A large amount of resources and money is needed in order to build these technological advanced transports
- Takes a long process to make
- A large labor force is required (families of African farmers are torn apart)
Machine Guns
- Machine guns weren’t even seen before in Africa
- In the beginning, Europeans were selling machine guns to Africans, but in 1890, they decided to stop selling arms to them
- Africans had nothing against the machine guns
Benefits
- Could protect the continent for military usages
- Small military forces could defeat a large number of people without these weapons and technology
Negative Consequences
- Economically: machine guns require a large amount of resources and money
- Harm and kill more people if the machine guns are used at inappropriate times
- Africans were totally controlled by the Europeans, because the Europeans can shoot them anytime they please
Quinine
- A bitter drug from South America
- From the bark of the cinchona tree → a weapon against malaria
- Western areas in Africa = heavily affected: known as the “White Man’s Grave” since lots of Europeans were struck by this disease (6/10 Europeans sent would die within the first year upon arriving)
- 1817 = 2 scientists (Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimé Caventou) = took quinine from the cinchona trees (was in use at 1850)
Benefits
- Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimé Caventou is now rich as they found this drug against a deadly disease
- Before 1850, it was impossible for Europeans to survive the damaging effects of malaria when traveling to a continent with this disease being everywhere
- Doctors are now able to use quinine to cure lots of sick patients, and will be able to earn more money
- Africans are more united as a whole, because less people died, and people are more willing to help each other
Negative Consequences
- More Europeans came to take over Africa, and the resources there are being taken away (Africans have less power over their own country)
- The “Scramble for Africa” began, because all the European countries knew about Africa, and was afraid of loosing. Therefore, they all came to join the scramble.
- Africans, because there is rasicsm going on as more “white” people came. Europeans thought that they were far more superior compared to the Africans
Quinine in Africa. N.d. Anthrocivitas. vBulletin, 27 Sept. 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
Mineral Exploitation
- Africa is a continent rich for mineral resources
- Colonial governments encouraged exploitation (make full use of resources)
- Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and the Belgian Congo were dominated by copper and tin production
- Many African farmers had to leave their homes to become mine workers
- South Africa had gold and diamonds
Benefits
-Trading is available, so more resources could be gathered
-African farmers have a job and have an opportunity to raise their family
-European and colonial governments earn a large profit, because minerals are expensive
Negative Consequences
- Families are torn apart due to labor inside the mines
- African farmers are used as slaves by the Europeans
- Some laborers die due to the dynamites used in mining (at that time Albert B. Nobel already introduced dangerous explosives to Africa)
Agricultural Production
- In the east and southern Africa, there were farms which were owned by the Europeans
- Farmers around Africa were encouraged to grow cash crops by the colonial government
- Such as: coffee beans, cocoa, peanuts, and non-food crops such as tobacco and cotton
Benefits:
- Farmers are earning money from growing high quality crops (cash crops) that were requested by the colonial government
Negative Consequences:
- Some parts of Africa are lack of natural resources, so not all of the farmers in Africa have a job and work for the Europeans
- Men who live in these areas need to migrate to another colony to work in large farms, and leaving their family and home behind
The Transportation
- Railroads are used as primary sources to transport agricultural and mineral sources, because the great rivers in Africa have rapids and waterfalls which make transportation difficult.
- Since Africa can not do that on their own, colonial governments and companies sponsered the developing of railroads.
Benefits:
- The transportation like railroads and road do very important roles in economic growth and technology development.
- The Europeans benefit by using Africa’s transportation and serve the commercial needs of themselves.
Negative Consequences:
- The fragmentation of the colonial powers lead to interreginal links, which were thin.
-After the independence of Africa, the independent government realized that they could not keep up the developing with their African labour.
- The transportation was mainly used for the benefit of colonial powers.
Social and Political Events:
The Scramble for Africa
-1886-1914
-European countries colonized all of Africa, except for Liberia and Ethiopia
-Britain, France, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain had colonial powers
-they wanted to establish sovereignty, or polital control
-there was warfare, threat of force and treaty making with African rulers
Benefits:
-European countries benefit, because they get to colonize parts of Africa
-If they colonize the land, they would be guaranteed to have raw resources and materials for the industrial revolution or trade
-Because they were taking over Africa, they were able to use the citizens as slaves, to help speed up the process of gathering resources by forced labor
Negative Consequences:
-African citizens were having their land taken by Europeans, and many were made as slaves
-Many were killed due to the warfare and threat of force by the Europeans
-Africa didn’t have their independence, and was being controlled by other colonies
The Depression of Europe
-end of 19th century
-no money to spend on political administration, economic development or social programs
-Had to raise the revenue to pay for all expenses, including the colonial army and police force
Negative Consequences:
-Depression is a severe economic slump, and this would definitely harm the economy and industrial trade for the Europeans
-Europeans had to pay more to have a colonial army and political force
Industrial Revolution
-19th century
-no shortage of labor in Europe
-2 centuries of trade with Asia, America and Africa (Atlantic slave trade), brought great profit for the Europeans
-the profit from the trading was then used to finance the industrial revolution
-European countries were dependent on raw materials
-cotton textile industry helped stimulate the industrial revolution
-therefore, European industrialists encouraged governments to colonize African countries to guarantee raw resources from Africa (ex. mineral exploitation)
Benefits:
-Europeans earn a lot of profit from the trading of goods in the Industrial revolution
-By colonizing Africa, they would have a daily or stable supply of resources for trading
-Europeans were able to use African farmers to help them speed up the process of gathering the resources (mineral exploitation, agricultural production)
Negative Consequences:
-African farmers or citizens suffer because they had to leave their families, to do forced labor
-resources of African are reduced, because Europeans are always getting the resources to earn profit from the industrial revolution
-African countries were colonized by Europeans, no more independence
Zanzibar Slave Trade
- Europeans were violent to the native Africans
- Zanzibar = Africa’s slave trade center
- People from central Africa were bought/stolen from their home and shipped to Zanzibar to be auctioned/sold to be slaves
- This trade was very profitable → earned lots of money during this process
- More than 500,000 slaves were brought to Zanzibar every year
- Thousands of slaves died before even reaching Zanzibar
- 1876 = slaver was banned due to British powers
Benefits:
- Arab traders was able to earn so much money due to the fact that the slave business was very successful
Negative Consequences:
- The slaves were beat up, and treated inhumanely because they were thought to be “lower class”
- Lots of slaves died during this process, because of the harsh conditions
- Slaves, because they were forced to do hard work without pay, or very little
- The slaves’ families were devastated by the fact that their family member(s) were taken away to be slaves in a foreign place, and they wouldn’t ever come back
Final Breakdown of Africa
- The Europeans broke down Africa into pieces and shared the land.
- Any resistance was killed.
- The Europeans were not considering the tribes’ territories.
Benefits:
- The Europeans benefit by sharing the land and reducing their conflicts.
Negative Consequences:
- The African people are the losers because the Europeans were not considering the tribal differences.
- The tribes that considered each other as enemies were mixed up in one territory.
- The problems that Africa faces today are because of this.
Suez Canal
- Suez Canal = joins the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
- Egypt agreed with Ferdinand de Lesseps, a previous official of France, to build a canal 100 miles across Suez
- Engineers, and they began constructing in 1859
- Beginning = forced labour (low tech equipment: shovels, picks, etc.)
- Later = steam shovels and dredgers were used (a lot faster)
- In the beginning few years = only a few hundred ships went across the canal
- Improvement work began in 1876 → became a busy ship traveling path
Benefits:
- Great Britain, because after construction, they became the largest shareholder in this company → earned lots of money
- Different countries, because it’s really easy and convenient to travel with ships down this path
- Bosses of companies, because the canal is open night and day, so the ship can travel to places quicker, and import goods really fast
- Ship crew, because the amount of accidents that happen in this canal is really little compared to other waterways (safer)
Negative Consequences:
- People were forced into labour in order to build the canal (slaves)
- The environment, because there’s more pollution now since ships travel all the time
Tax Wars
- The European were expecting Africa to not need their money and wanted them to pay their own way, and wanted to drag them into the cash economy, so they used taxation to make them work hard.
- The terrrible tax made the African people get angry.
- There was the first rebellion in Agola, 1902 attacking the tax collectors.
- The hut tax lead to death of some British officials.
- The Germans made the Herero sign with them and took over their land and forced them to pay taxes. In 1904, the Herero rebelled the Germans. However, after the rebellion the Germans forced them to get out of the territory and killed whoever stayed.
Benefits:
- European people benefit, at least more than the Africans because they got a lot of tax from them, but they did not benefit entirely because the Africans rebelled and killed some Europeans and burned farms, etc.
Negative Consequences:
- Africans are losers by paying a awful lot of tax to Europeans. However, they succeeded to show their attitude of disobeyment through rebellions.
All Works Cited
Evans, Alistair Boddy. “Quinine - What Is Quinine.” About.com. The New York Times Co., 2011. Web. 26 Aug. 2011.
“History of Pemba & Zanzibar.” Swahili Divers. Click IT, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
Jones, Jim. "Europe & Africa in the 19th Century." Courses. West Chester University, 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
McDougal, Littell. “The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914.” McLane. Beseen, 1999. Web. 26 Aug. 2011.
“Scramble for Africa.” WordPress. An Automattic Brainchild, 10 May 2011. Web. 26 Aug. 2011.
“Suez Canal Opens.” History. A&E Television Networks, LLC, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
Telegraph. N.d. HT Museum. Zagreb, 1997. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
"Unit Two: Studying Africa through the Social Studies." Matrix. African Studies Center, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
Wilson, McDougal Littell. "TELESCOPING THE TIMES: The Age of Imperialism, 1850-1914." Mclane. N.p., 1999. Web. 28 Aug. 2011.
Sites you can use to learn more about technology, revolution and imperialism in Africa are listed below:
Exploration in Africa
Imperialism in Africa
Global Effects of Change- great stuff, but not global
Europe and Africa
More Europe and Africa
Colonialism in Africa